If you needed yet another reminder of why Dave Roberts has led the Los Angeles Dodgers to three championships in six years, look no further than his treatment of Roki Sasaki.
Roberts has both built Sasaki up and held the Japanese import accountable through two up-and-down seasons. He hasn’t been stubbornly loyal to the 24-year-old righty, nor has he waved the white flag amid Sasaki’s continued control issues.
As Sasaki nears a return from the IL, Roberts confirmed that Sasaki will start pitching out of the bullpen this week. All signs point to Sasaki serving as a reliever for the second straight postseason.
Sasaki has missed nearly all of September with a hip injury, and he should have some extra time to recover. The Dodgers are closing in one of the NL’s top two playoff seeds, which includes a first-round bye.
Does Roki Sasaki deserve to make the Los Angeles Dodgers’ playoff roster?
Before looking ahead to October, let’s quickly travel back to this past spring. I repeatedly questioned Sasaki’s viability as an MLB starter, largely because of his control and what felt like an inability to handle the pressure associated with pitching Stateside.
Honestly? I really haven’t changed my opinion, though I’ll give Sasaki his flowers. He’s played some of his best baseball in the second half, recording a 3.05 ERA in seven starts. That’s down from 5.33 over 15 first-half outings, though he’s still struggling to make it through five innings.
Most importantly, he’s significantly cut down on his homers, allowing three in 38.1 innings. That’s a fantastic improvement from the 19 long balls he gave up in 81 first-half innings.
So what’s the problem? Walks. I’m old school, so I don’t like young pitchers only working five innings because they can’t hit the strike zone. Sasaki has issued 15 free passes in those 38.1 innings, and it drives up his pitch count.
At the end of the day, Sasaki has completed six innings in just seven of his 22 starts. Now is the perfect time to permanently transition him to a relief role.
But we asked whether Sasaki deserves to be on the playoff roster, and despite my criticism, the answer is an easy “yes.” There’s something to be said about a young player admitting to confidence issues yet powering through and trying to make things work rather than let things spiral.
What’s especially admirable about Sasaki is that he doesn’t complain or make himself out to be a victim. He’s never targeted the media, which has actually had his back for much of the last two years. He’s certainly not teammate Kyle Tucker, whose body language and work ethic have raised red flags dating back to his brief stint with the Cubs.
Maybe Sasaki is the Dodgers’ secret playoff weapon once again. We’d certainly feel more comfortable trusting him in October instead of embattled former closer Edwin Díaz.
Yikes. Imagine reading that on Opening Day.
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